Enhance Your Robots’ Performance with the Right Tape for Superior Productivity and Quality
Industry 4.0 and automation have revolutionized manufacturing across various sectors. While traditional craftsmanship is making a comeback in some areas, automation continues to expand globally due to the numerous advantages it offers.
When thinking of robots and automated assembly, materials like metal, plastic, and energy, along with software and data, often come to mind—sometimes even the Terminator™. Tapes might not be the first association, but this perspective changes as we explore how equipping robots with specialized tapes and materials can significantly boost productivity and quality.
Cobots, Robots & Co: Understanding Differences and Transforming Manufacturing Processes
The first industrial robot, Unimate, introduced in 1961 by American engineers George Devol and Joseph Engelberger, was designed to perform repetitive tasks in factories, such as moving hot metal pieces. This innovation revolutionized the manufacturing industry by enabling machines to handle tasks previously done by humans, leading to continuous production, increased productivity, reduced labor costs, improved accuracy, precision, and product quality with reduced risk of error.
Beyond efficiency, robots and cobots enhance worker safety by performing tasks too dangerous or difficult for humans, such as handling heavy loads, hazardous materials, or working in extreme conditions.
In industrial automation, two main types of machines are distinguished by their intended use and level of human interaction:
- Robots: Typically operate without direct human supervision to perform highly repetitive or dangerous tasks with high speed and precision, especially in mass production. They are commonly used in assembly lines, such as in the automotive industry, and are designed for specific tasks with limited adaptability.
- Cobots: Collaborative robots are smaller, more flexible, and easier to program than traditional robots, making them ideal for working alongside humans in small-batch manufacturing. They are preferred for frequently changing tasks that require short programming times and flexibility.
Specialized Adhesive Tapes in Automated Production
Improving productivity, assembly efficiency, and process costs in automated manufacturing often involves specialized materials. Robots need to be “fed” with energy and materials like tapes to fulfill their tasks.
Not all adhesive tapes are suitable for robotic applications or automated assembly, but those that are can add significant value. Here are three examples from Saint-Gobain® Tape Solutions:
- Norseal® Extruded Foam Profiles: These profiles come in long continuous lengths suitable for automation. They are used to make gaskets for sandwich panels and seal interfaces in walk-in refrigerators and appliances. The continuous format allows for extended running times without stopping the robot or machinery, enabling faster machine speeds, less stoppage time, and improved quality due to fewer spliced sections. Various shapes, including round gaskets, are available to meet different needs
Efficient Automotive Bonding with Norbond Tapes and Dynafoam
In automotive exterior bonding applications, acrylic tapes like Norbond Z3000, Norbond Z2000, and others are widely used. These tapes, converted to spools with secondary release liners, are extensively applied in bonding components such as body side moldings and pillars. Using a robot with a tape application head, double-sided acrylic foam tapes can be applied to curved surfaces with much greater efficiency than manual application. Pre-qualifying a tape with a robot ensures proper application and efficient tape feeding.
(CLICK TO DOWNLOAD NORBOND Z3000 SPEC SHEET)
(CLICK TO DOWNLOAD NORBOND Z2000 SPEC SHEET)
Dynafoam® Foam-in-Place (FIP) polyurethane foam, though not a tape, seals out water, air, and dust while decoupling noise vibrations. Its engineered viscosity and mechanical foaming allow for 3-dimensional and upside-down automated applications. Ideal for automotive and construction industries, Dynafoam ensures consistent quality and performance in door gasketing and sealing sandwich panels, saving time and labor costs.
(CLICK TO DOWNLOAD DYNAFOAM SPEC SHEET)
For inventory management and process flow, UHMW tapes are essential. PTFE, UHMW, and silicone rubber products offer durability, long life, and contamination-free wear surfaces, making them ideal for various industrial applications.
While the Terminator was a fictional robot sent from the future to save the planet, the industrial robots we’re discussing are real-world helpers making a difference today. They can also contribute to environmental sustainability, albeit in a different way.
The famous line “I’ll be back!” from action movies now resonates with a new meaning as robots return to enhance efficiency and profitability in production. More recently, robots have also been helping improve sustainability by reducing waste, enhancing product performance, planting trees, and interacting with AI to streamline recycling processes. As automation in production accelerates, discover how your business can benefit by identifying the ideal tapes and materials to integrate into your robotic systems, bringing your operations to life.
